Multidimensional tropical forest recovery

Lourens Poorter; Dylan Craven; Catarina C Jakovac; Masha T van der Sande; Lucy Amissah; Frans Bongers; Robin Chazdon; Caroline Farrior; Stephan Kambach; Jorge A Meave; See full text of article for complete list of authors

doi:10.1126/science.abh3629

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Multidimensional tropical forest recovery

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Multidimensional tropical forest recovery

Lourens Poorter, Dylan Craven, Catarina C Jakovac, Masha T van der Sande, Lucy Amissah, Frans Bongers, Robin Chazdon, Caroline Farrior, Stephan Kambach, Jorge A Meave, …

Science, Vol.374(6573), pp.1370-1376

2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abh3629

PMID: 34882461

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Abstract

Tropical forests disappear rapidly because of deforestation, yet they have the potential to regrow naturally on abandoned lands. We analyze how 12 forest attributes recover during secondary succession and how their recovery is interrelated using 77 sites across the tropics. Tropical forests are highly resilient to low-intensity land use; after 20 years, forest attributes attain 78% (33 to 100%) of their old-growth values. Recovery to 90% of old-growth values is fastest for soil (<1 decade) and plant functioning (<2.5 decades), intermediate for structure and species diversity (2.5 to 6 decades), and slowest for biomass and species composition (>12 decades). Network analysis shows three independent clusters of attribute recovery, related to structure, species diversity, and species composition. Secondary forests should be embraced as a low-cost, natural solution for ecosystem restoration, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation.

Details

Title: Multidimensional tropical forest recovery
Authors: Lourens Poorter (Corresponding Author) - Wageningen University & Research
Dylan Craven (Author) - Universidad Mayor
Catarina C Jakovac (Author) - Wageningen University & Research
Masha T van der Sande (Author) - Wageningen University & Research
Lucy Amissah (Author) - Forestry Research Institute of Ghana
Frans Bongers (Author) - Wageningen University & Research
Robin Chazdon (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests and People Research Centre
Caroline Farrior (Author) - The University of Texas at Austin
Stephan Kambach (Author) - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Jorge A Meave (Author) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
See full text of article for complete list of authors (Author)
Publication details: Science, Vol.374(6573), pp.1370-1376
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date published: 2021
DOI: 10.1126/science.abh3629
ISSN: 1095-9203
PMID: 34882461
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99597608902621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Ecology

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